1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of computer software and, in particular, to a system and method for managing duplicate file uploads.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photography is a popular activity for both professionals and amateurs alike. Digital photography, especially, is an activity that has undergone widespread growth in recent years based on the proliferation of digital camera technology. As the art of digital photography becomes more widely adopted, the process of transferring digital media files to digital photography websites is increasing.
One example of a digital photography website is SmugMug.com, which allows users to, among other things, manage an online storefront for their digital media file collection. Consider the example of a wedding photographer who is interested in selling his or her digital media files, such as digital images and digital videos taken at a wedding. To begin this process, the wedding photographer accesses his or her account and creates a new online album titled, e.g., “Clark and Mary's Wedding.” The wedding photographer then selects one or more digital media files to upload to the online album. The upload process is accomplished using an uploader client, such as an HTML-5 uploader that enables the wedding photographer to select one or more digital media files locally available on his or her desktop computer to be uploaded to the album. The upload process begins, and the selected one or more digital media files are uploaded to the online album. Once uploaded, the one or more digital media files can be stored on a server operated by a third party with whom the digital photography website has a storage contract arrangement. The wedding photographer may then distribute and/or sell the uploaded digital media files through the digital photography website.
Oftentimes, individuals viewing the digital media files in the online album, such as attendees of the wedding, may choose to purchase a copy of a digital media file, and request changes to be made thereto, such as color correction, red eye correction, and the like. The wedding photographer is notified of such requests, and typically requests a short amount of time to adjust the digital media files on his or her desktop computer, often referred to as a “proof-delay.” When the editing process is complete, the adjusted digital media files are re-uploaded to the online album so that they can be made available to the purchasers.
Unfortunately, re-uploading the digital media files often presents filename conflicts, especially when the wedding photographer does not rename the adjusted digital media files. For example, for a file with a filename “Photo—23.JPG” that has been adjusted by the wedding photographer, there likely exists an original digital media file in the online album with the same filename. Filename conflicts often require users to rename each of the conflicting digital media files. As a result, the online album becomes disorganized and fragmented. Moreover, the user may choose to ignore the conflict and upload duplicate data, which results in unnecessary consumption of computing resources.
As the foregoing illustrates, there is a need in the art for an improved technique for managing the uploading of files.